Roy W. Brown Middle School science lab to get makeover

A science lab at Roy W. Brown Middle School in Bergenfield will be in line for a makeover because of Denise Ponte and Joseph Mastroeni.

The two teachers earned recognition at national finalists in the in the second annual Shell Science Lab Challenge sponsored by Shell Oil Company and the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA).

Each of the four finalists from the country will receive a science lab makeover support package for their school valued at $8,500.

The prize package includes a $3,000 Shell cash grant, $3,000 in donated lab equipment, $1,000 in NSTA prizes — to include an NSTA bookstore gift certificate and NSTA conference registrations, NSTA memberships and NSTA Learning Center subscriptions for two teachers — and an expense-paid trip for one teacher to attend the 2012 NSTA National Conference on Science Education.

To enter the Shell Science Lab Challenge, science teachers of grades six through 12 in the United States and Canada were asked to describe their school’s current laboratory resources, explain why the school’s laboratory facilities might be classified as "limited" resources, and describe their approach to science education instruction utilizing their school’s current lab facilities.

A panel of science educators then reviewed and selected the top entries.

In announcing the winners, the NSTA said that Ponte and Mastroeni share Room 237 at Roy W. Brown Middle School, teaching 300 seventh- and eighth-graders Earth science, physics, and life science.

"The classroom was last updated in the late 1960s," the NSTA noted, "when new lab tables were installed."

"Despite the outdated facility, Ponte and Mastroeni work to connect science lessons to their students’ lives using project-based lessons, creating opportunities for students to explore their world and participate in investigations, collecting data and developing critical-thinking skills," the NSTA said.

"They hope that by updating the lab, it will allow them to conduct more self-directed investigations and provide more collaborative learning opportunities for their students while including students with disabilities and English language learners," according to the NSTA.